Golfing has been one of the fastest growing sports in recent years. The sport of golfing is extremely popular, not only in the United States, but also in many foreign countries, such as Canada and Japan.
Various types of devices or paraphernalia have been developed to provide a golfer a more pleasurable round of golf. Although a round of golf may be played by one walking the course and carrying one's bag, a substantial number of golfers ride in an electric or gasoline powered golf cart or walk the course pulling a pull cart. In some instances when a golf cart is used, the cart is required to stay on a cart path especially constructed for the cart. The cart is not allowed to traverse fairways or greens. In other instances, a golf cart is allowed to travel on fairways, but is restricted to the cart path around the tee areas and greens.
One problem that arises during use of a golf cart is when the golfer must leave the cart and walk to his ball in order to take a shot. If the ball is in the fairway, the golfer must walk from the cart path to the fairway to where his ball has landed. In many cases, the golfer will take two or more clubs to the ball's location and decide when he reaches that location which club to use for his next shot. In other cases, when the ball has landed off, but near, the green, the golfer will usually take a putter and one or more other clubs such as a wedge with him to the ball's location. Taking a number of clubs at once eliminates taking a shot and placing the ball onto the green and then having to walk back and retrieve the putter for a subsequent putt.
Similarly, golf pull carts are not generally permitted on the greens. Golfers must leave the pull carts some distance from the green while they chip or pitch onto the green and putt out the hole using a couple of different clubs. Typically, in these situations the golfer must place the club or clubs that he is not using on the ground while taking his shot. Many golf clubs are left lying on the ground, partially hidden by the grass, and lost by golfers who fail to pick up clubs after putting out the hole.
Another problem with placing golf clubs directly on the ground is avoiding moisture and dirt on the grip. During morning hours, the fairways and greens of a golf course are generally damp from early morning dew or from the previous night's watering of the fairways and greens. Also, a recent shower of rain will dampen the fairways and greens without discouraging golfers from going out and playing a round of golf. Thus, if a golfer brings two or more clubs to where his ball landed, the golfer generally must put the additional clubs on the ground while taking his shot. This results in the grips of the clubs becoming damp and wet, thus requiring that these grips be cleaned and/or dried before use.
Also some golfers do not enjoy the stooping and bending over to pick up golf clubs on the ground. Many golfers are elderly or have some physical limitation which hampers or restricts this stooping or bending.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D279,309 to Rosen et al. discloses two parallel prongs, presumably for insertion into the ground, and a cradle support piece for apparently resting the shaft of the golf club. U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,416 to Lowe discloses a foldable A-frame golf club carrier for use in carrying, stowing and transporting golf clubs. U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,239 to Kerbs, Jr. discloses a carrier including a bottom support tier and intermediate and upper tiers having aligned openings or slots adapted to receive golf club shafts. The carrier includes a pointed member for insertion into the ground to position the carrier.
It is desirable to have a lightweight and low cost golf club support device which maintains one or more golf clubs in a partially upright position to make the club more visible to minimize the risk of loss. It is also desirable to have a lightweight and low cost golf club support device which supports a club or clubs such that the grips do not get wet or dirty. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a golf club support device which maintains the club or clubs substantially upright to minimize or eliminate any stooping or bending over to pick up additional clubs which have been removed from the golf bag.